8th August 2026
What, when, where and how we eat can signify many things. Eating healthily might impress your colleagues but doing so on a video call is unprofessional. Michael J. Matthews, Thomas K. Kelemen, Trevor Watkins and Mark Bolino describe the biological, psychological and social implications of eating at work, and what we can learn from the French.
Most of us think about food multiple times during the day. And being at work, where most of us spend a large part of the week, is not usually enough to distract us from thinking about eating. Whether it includes a quick stop at the snack bar before a standup meeting or trying to woo a client at a fancy restaurant, eating and work often intersect. Different research has shown that unhealthy eating in the evenings can hamper work performance the next day and that eating from shared plates, such as chips and salsa, can promote collaboration.
To understand the relationship between eating and work, we reviewed 181 academic articles on food and jobs. These ranged from studies on eating out in Spain to skipping breakfast in Japan and from white-collar workers ruminating about their jobs workers to train drivers’ caffeine habits. As we synthesised all these findings, we framed existing research around three core ways eating impacts use at work: biologically, psychologically and socially. This draws attention to the multi-faceted functioning of eating. Below we highlight the critical ways food impacts workers, showing the subtle ways in which food and work intersect.
The biological effects of eating on work
Clearly, the most obvious function of eating involves processing nutrients into energy. This is especially important in an era with community food deserts in which fresh, healthy food is often hard to access for workers, who may instead simply turn to car cuisine out of convenience. Along these lines, research has considered both the long-term and short-term implications of eating and how it can help or harm biological processes that impact employee outcomes.
In a sample of 8,252 working adults in America, employees who were deficient of key nutrients in their diet were found be absent from work between one and six additional days per year, depending on which nutrient was missing. Other research showed that some industries can improve the long-term health of their employees by targeted eating behaviours. One study showed how airline pilots, who tend to suffer from hearing loss due to exposure to loud engine noises, can potentially benefit from specific nutrients that mitigate this tendency.
The psychological effects of eating on work
Eating is not only a nutritional processes. Although eating is certainly a source of energy, it is also deeply entwined with how we cope with our surroundings and how we view ourselves. In demanding jobs some employees might “stress eat” when work is hectic. Not all studies find a positive relation between demanding jobs and unhealthy eating, but many do. A study of Brazilian teachers found that high job strain resulted in eating less fruit. And a European study found that when workers do not effectively rest or disconnect after work hours, this resulted in them eating fast food and more sugary sweets. Indeed, stressful work and eating can result in a vicious cycle, where work stress prompts unhealthy eating, and that same unhealthy eating is then linked to more stress.
How and what we eat also shapes how we think about ourselves. And the personal self-reflection on one’s eating behaviour matters for how one acts at work. A sample of nearly 100 employees in America found that unhealthy eating resulted in feelings of shame and guilt which made employees less likely to reach out and help others at work.
But the relationship between eating and work is not all bad for one’s psychological self. Other research has found that when employees were found to be making healthy goal progress, such as attaining their healthy eating and fitness goals, it increased their pride and decreased their shame resulting in improved work outcomes.
The social effects of eating and work
Finally, eating serves an important social function. We rarely gather without considering food. And many societal rituals involve food, such as a wedding cake. Importantly, we tend to eat like our peers. In one study with three million data points, researchers showed a correlation between employees’ lunch purchases and what their coworkers had bought. Eating like others helps us to fit in and avoid social judgment. A study of firefighters showed that eating together, known as “commensality”, improved work-group performance and created connections within teams. Our own research verifies the reality of social judgment: choosing to eat healthily may score you points with coworkers who see you as having more self-control, and correspondingly direct more help your way.
But while eating can draw employees together, it can also pull them apart. What we eat and when we eat can boost or undermine one’s reputation and social standing. One study showed how eating during a virtual meeting can make one look incompetent and less professional. And eating isn’t always inclusive, and for those with dietary restrictions, food can be a source of social isolation.
What this means for managers
It can be tempting to think that food has only a marginal impact on work. But wellness can have a big impact, including on the bottom-line. One research team showed that participating in a corporate wellness programme increased productivity by about 10 per cent. With this in mind, we offer several considerations for organisations.
First, managers should make strategic use of commensality to strengthen connections among employees. Strong networks can be a source of competitive advantage, and organisations can use food to cultivate these relationships. Doing so is increasingly imperative given that many workers feel disconnected and lonely both inside and outside of work. Moreover, in hybrid workplaces, allowing employees to bond over food when they are in the office can both entice and provide a rationale for employees to come to work even when it might sometimes be more convenient for them to work remotely. But managers must remember that group meals may leave some employees feeling judged, awkward or excluded, so they should be sensitive to such possibilities and find ways to include everyone regardless of their eating habits, food preferences and dietary restrictions.
Additionally, we encourage organisational leaders to be mindful that eating can be both enjoyable and healthy. The good news is that healthy eating can often result from simple nudges. One study at Google found that simply moving the snack bar location changed how many snacks people ate during the day, and another study found that ordering ahead of time can help cut the calories.
Supervisors can also model healthy eating by taking time for lunch breaks themselves, eating more slowly and eating with others. Indeed, some countries, such as France, banned lunch-desks in favour of more humanistic eating rituals. Although this was lifted ban was lifted during COVID-19 for safety reasons, the French culture likely has something to teach us. Indeed, food experts have long placed the French as a model when it comes to how they approach food, and perhaps the rest of the globe could learn from a slower and more intentional way of eating. Taking after the French, at least in this regard, could not only bring people together but do so in a way that promotes both team health and cohesion, and could have delicious social and economic benefits for the firm.
Authors
Michael Matthews is an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley. His research focuses on leadership, the interface between work and nonwork, and social theories. His research has been featured in outlets such as the Academy of Management Annals and the Journal of Management.
Thomas K Kelemen
Thomas K Kelemen is an Associate Professor at Kansas State University.
Mark Bolino
Mark Bolino teaches in the undergraduate, MBA, and Ph.D. programs, focusing on organizational behavior, international business, and human resources management. His research explores employees' willingness to go the extra mile for their organizations, impression management in the workplace, global careers, and the psychological contracts between employers and employees.
Trevor Watkins
Trevor Watkins received his PhD from the University of Washington and is now a professor at the University of Oklahoma. Watkins is currently researching topics related to employee well-being, positive event disclosures, and health and wellness behaviors. He posits that employees are more likely to achieve long-term success when they work a bit less and instead dedicate more time to cultivating their health and relationships.
Note
This blog article is from The London School of Economics. It was published on 5 August 2026.
To read it with links to more information go HERE